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But the patriarch said that they had spoken a reasonable thought, but that he himself was not persuaded it was so, but that the grand domestic had devised something, using his deep mind, as we know, which we are now unable 1.319 to understand. But since we promised that all the bishops would assemble on the appointed day, what we promised it is also necessary to fulfill in deeds. But when the appointed time came, on which the synod of the bishops was to be, all were present in the patriarchate, but the grand domestic, taking the responsible bishops and having ordered them to be silent and to utter nothing, as he was going to make the arguments on their behalf, came with them as if they were going to defend themselves for what they were accused. And when all were in the same place, the patriarch accused the accused bishops of having been driven by them from his throne, though he had done no wrong, and in addition even of having been imprisoned. So the accused answered nothing; and when a deep silence had lasted for a long time, the grand domestic said: "Our Lord Jesus Christ said in the gospels: 'Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.' And 'more than the scribes and Pharisees,' as I hear you teaching, is nothing other than to not only not retaliate against one who does wrong on equal terms, but also to do good as much as is possible. Wherefore also, establishing the saving laws, he commanded the one being dragged into court to have his tunic taken away to also offer up his cloak, and from the one who strikes on the cheek not only not to demand satisfaction, but also to offer the other, and all other things which proceed from the same 1.320 thought. And urging us to the practice of the saving laws, at one time he said: 'Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing' and 'entering into your closet, pray to your Father who is in heaven' and in addition, 'having shut the door,' but at another time that 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works.' And yet, in appearance, such commands are opposed to one another, but in my opinion, for us who are imperfect and are able to be deprived of the prizes for our labors by showing them off, it was said to conceal them with all one's strength; but for you teachers and who are set forth as a common example of an upright and sober life, that your good works should shine, so that the many, seeing them, may glorify our Father who is in heaven. If, therefore, you, who are rightly the light for us your disciples who are held fast by the deceits of life and its cares and pleasures, should appear terrible and implacable and granting no pardon to those who have wronged you and treated you badly, will you not make us become wilder and more savage than untamed beasts? And it will happen to you, that just as you are worthy of crowns and rewards from the benevolent and just awarder for becoming an example of the good for the benefit of all, so now you will owe no ordinary penalties for having provided an occasion of harm to all. But I will provide you with an example of benevolence even from us 1.321 who are nailed to this life, which happened just recently. For you see the emperor, clothed with so great a magnitude of rule, and so in the very flower of youth, when one might most of all, even while taking much care for an upright life, be most easily both overcome by pleasures and be led to an immoderation of temper, with what gentleness and benevolence, which no one would have expected, he treated Markos, the insolent one who had dared the most terrible things. If therefore he, being young, as we said, and an emperor, and attending to the affairs of life, so easily pardoned the one who had erred, will you not also grant pardon to brothers who have stumbled through negligence, you who are both a common teacher and, as it were, set forth as an example of a virtuous life? But will you thus persist implacably, demanding penalties for the sins committed, being swayed neither by our entreaties, nor any pity

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πατριάρχης δὲ νοῦν μὲν αὐτοὺς ἔφη λόγον ἔχοντα εἰρηκέναι, αὐτὸν δὲ μὴ πείθεσθαι οὕτως εἶναι, ἀλλά τι τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον ἐπινενοηκέναι, βαθείαις, καθάπερ ἴσμεν, κεχρημένον ταῖς φρεσὶν, ὃ νῦν ἡμᾶς μὴ δύνασθαι 1.319 νοεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπηγγειλάμεθα τοὺς ἀρχιερέας πάντας εἰς τὴν τεταγμένην ἡμέραν συνελθεῖν, ὃ ἐπηγγειλάμεθα καὶ ἔργοις ἀναγκαῖον ἐκπληροῦν. Τῆς προθεσμίας δὲ ἐλθούσης, ἐν ᾗ τῶν ἀρχιερέων τὴν σύνοδον ἔδει εἶναι, οἱ μὲν ἐν πατριαρχείῳ παρῆσαν πάντες, ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος τοὺς ὑπευθύνους τῶν ἀρχιερέων παραλαβὼν καὶ παραγγείλας αὐτοῖς σιωπᾷν καὶ φθέγγεσθαι μηδὲν, ὡς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν αὐτοῦ τοὺς λόγους ποιησομένου, ἦλθε σὺν αὐτοῖς ὡς ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐνεκαλοῦντο ἀπολογησομένοις. πάντων δὲ γενομένων ἐν ταὐτῷ, τοὺς ἐγκαλουμένους ἀρχιερέας ὁ πατριάρχης ᾐτιᾶτο ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῶν θρόνων ἀπελασθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ἀδικήσαντα μηδὲν, καὶ προσέτι γε εἱρχθῆναι. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐγκαλούμενοι ἀπεκρίναντο οὐδέν· σιωπῆς δὲ βαθείας γενομένης ἐπιπολὺ, ὁ μέγας δομέστικος εἶπεν· «ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις εἶπεν· «ἐὰν μὴ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν περισσεύσῃ πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ δύνασθε εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.» τὸ δὲ «πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων,» ὡς ὑμῶν ἀκούω διδασκόντων ἐγὼ, οὐδὲν ἄλλο εἶναι ἢ τὸ μὴ μόνον τὸν ἀδικοῦντα μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὖ ποιεῖν καθ' ὅσον ἂν οἷόν τε ᾖ. διὸ καὶ τοὺς σωτηρίους νόμους τιθεὶς, τὸν ἑλκόμενον εἰς δικαστήριον ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸν χιτῶνα ἀφαιρεθῆναι καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον προσέταξε προσαποδύσασθαι, καὶ τὸν πατάξαντα ἐπὶ κόῤῥης μὴ μόνον εὐθύνας οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν ἐμπαρέχειν, καὶ ἄλλα ὅσα τῆς αὐτῆς ἐξέχεται 1.320 διανοίας. παραθήγων δὲ ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐργασίαν τῶν σωτηρίων νόμων, ποτὲ μὲν εἶπε· «μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου» καὶ «εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖόν σου, πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν οὐρανῷ» καὶ προσέτι «κλείσας τὴν θύραν,» ποτὲ δὲ ὅτι «λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ὑμῶν ἔργα.» καίτοι γε τῷ δοκεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα παραγγέλματα ἀντίκεινται ἀλλήλοις, ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖν, τοῖς μὲν ἀτελέσιν ἡμῖν καὶ δυναμένοις ἐκ τῆς ἐπιδείξεως τῶν καμάτων τὰ ἔπαθλα ἀποστερεῖσθαι, τὸ ἐπικρύπτεσθαι αὐτὰ εἰρῆσθαι παντὶ σθένει· τοῖς διδασκάλοις δὲ ὑμῖν καὶ κοινὸν παράδειγμα ὀρθοῦ καὶ σώφρονος βίου προκειμένοις, τὸ λάμπειν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, ὅπως οἱ πολλοὶ ὁρῶντες, τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν δοξάζωσι τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ἐὰν τοίνυν ὑμεῖς, οἱ φῶς ἡμῶν τῶν μαθητευομένων καὶ ταῖς ἀπάταις τοῦ βίου καὶ μερίμναις καὶ ἡδοναῖς προσισχομένων δίκαιοι ὄντες εἶναι, δεινοὶ καὶ ἀπαραίτητοι καὶ μηδεμίαν παρέχοντες συγγνώμην τοῖς ἀδικήσασι καὶ κακῶς ὑμᾶς διαθεῖσι φανῆτε, οὐ θηρίων ἀνημέρων ἀγριωτέρους ἡμᾶς καὶ ὠμοτέρους παρασκευάσετε γενέσθαι; καὶ συμβήσεται ὑμῖν, ὥσπερ τοῦ καλοῦ παράδειγμα γινομένοις ὑπὲρ τῆς πάντων ὠφελείας παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου καὶ δικαίου βραβευτοῦ στεφάνων ἀξιοῦσθαι καὶ γερῶν, οὕτω νῦν ὄφλειν οὐ τὰς τυχούσας δίκας ὑπὲρ τοῦ πᾶσι βλάβης ἀφορμὴν παρεσχηκέναι. ἐγὼ δὲ παράδειγμα φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἀπὸ 1.321 τῶν τῷ βίῳ προσηλωμένων ἡμῶν παρέξομαι ὑμῖν οὔπω χθὲς καὶ πρώην γεγενημένον. ὁρᾶτε γὰρ τὸν βασιλέα, τοσοῦτο μὲν ἀρχῆς μέγεθος περιβεβλημένον, οὕτω δ' ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τῆς νεότητος ἄνθει, ὅτε μάλιστ' ἄν τις, καὶ πολλὴν ποιούμενος ὀρθοῦ βίου φροντίδα, ῥᾷστα καὶ ὑπὸ ἡδονῶν κρατοῖτο καὶ πρὸς ἀμετρίαν ἐξάγοιτο θυμοῦ, πρὸς τὸν ὑβριστὴν καὶ τὰ δεινότατα τετολμηκότα Μάρκον ὁποίᾳ, μηδενὸς ἂν προσδοκήσαντος, ἡμερότητι ἐχρήσατο καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ. εἰ οὖν ἐκεῖνος νέος ὢν, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ τοῖς τοῦ βίου πράγμασι προσέχων, οὕτω συνέγνω τῷ πταίσαντι ῥᾳδίως, οὐ καὶ σὺ διδάσκαλός τε ὢν κοινὸς καὶ οἱονεὶ παράδειγμα προκείμενος ἐναρέτου βίου, τοῖς ὑπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας προσκεκρουκόσι συγγνώμην παρέξεις ἀδελφοῖς; ἀλλ' οὕτω διακαρτερήσεις ἀπαραιτήτως τῶν ἡμαρτημένων δίκας ἀπαιτῶν, μήτε πρὸς τὰς ἡμετέρας καμπτόμενος δεήσεις, μήτε οἶκτον μηδένα